guest bedroom

I feel like a real adult because I can now have overnight guests.  This room now has heat and air conditioning and it's own closet instead of a hidden walk-through to our room.

Before, it was a lovely shade of turquoise.

 I sampled a few paint options.

And settled on a very soft gray-taupe from Daryl Carter's line for Benjamin Moore, DC-08.

 It's now starting to feel like a nice place to stay.  Missing items like a dresser or desk to serve as a second bedside table, drapery and a comfortable chair to flop on will round out the space.  Until then, at least there is a bed for family on Thanksgiving!  It's looking a tad traditional, so I am going to go with really modern art in here.

Kids' bath

The bath at the top of the stairs is what the kids' share and overnight guests will use.  Some before pictures (which I know are terrible) illustrate the dark blue walls, dark wood trim and Victorian sensibility of the space.

The above three pictures, I am backing out of the room into the top hallway.  Sort of afraid.

Ideally, we would have knocked out the corner where the shower is and installed a large glass enclosure.  It would have really opened up the room and brightened it up tremendously.  After considering budget, time and two teens getting ready for school in the morning, we decided to keep it as is.  It's a private shower with nice simple tiles and is actually quite tall when you are inside.  It's not too cramped.

 Backsplash has to go.  The vanity too.  I saved the faucet for use in the downstairs powder room.  I should note, I kind of wanted to re-use that crazy marble because I think it's super cool.  In this context, it was not cool.  It was just kinda' crazy.

The floors were an ugly color of pink and yellow mashed up.

Choice one for floor paint was Farrow & Ball's Pale Powder.  It was too pale and, frankly, too powdery.  It looked dirty all the time.  And a bit dull.  It would be beautiful on walls of a bedroom, a sun room or a dining room with really dark floors.

I re-used a pedestal sink from one of the bathrooms that we combined to make the master bathroom.  I bought another of the same (Kohler Memoirs) and it made all the difference.  The floor space has grown and it feels much more airy.  You loose storage without a vanity, but there are original built in drawers and shelves that hold all the spill over of towels and toiletries just outside of the door.

New sconces with an additional in the middle helped to brighten the room even further.

We opted for a brand new blue paint that just came out from Farrow & Ball, St. Giles Blue, and are much happier with the result.  I also reused two wall-mounted medicine cabinets from the old master bath and had them painted out white.

I'll include some final styled pictures when I add the updates from the other baths.

A sneak peak on the powder room:

master bath part I

I've been holding off on posts because they are all waiting on that final snap shot of the finished product.  All projects big and small seem to linger with a punch list.  The list gets smaller but there is always something holding back from having a satisfied finish.  So many circumstances prevent a final coat of paint, or a sconce install; often it's a back ordered part that leaves you 'so-close-yet-so-far.'

Such is the case with our Master Bath.  We are waiting on a back-ordered vanity which I pray comes before Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, I'll post some before pictures and the elements that are making up the new space.  I will leave final finished pics for, well, you know, when it is.

First step was to combine two small baths that were back to back to make one master bath.

The two spaces were a bit strange because while one served as a master, the other didn't really connect to any other room.  It's entrance along a narrow hallway to the master bedroom.   More on that later.

I drew up some ideas and the one that stuck was where a free standing tub sat in the middle of the room and abutted a standing shower with a panel of glass along the back wall.

Here are the elements:

Zuma freestanding rectangular tub

 All Hansgrohe Axor Montreux fixtures in polished nickel

RH Hudson wide single vanity

RH Whitby medicine cabinet

Down to the studs:

This is the shower along the far left wall that I call the back wall.

Tub has to wait in the living room for inspections to pass.

 Boarding

Taking shape, moisture barriers, boards and sub floor are in.

Tiling begins.

Worst picture, but lights were not in yet.

There is radiant heat under that slate floor.  Yeah!

 This tub is quite deep and so comfortable.

 Beautiful fixtures.  Blend classic and clean lines.

Before the glass panel was installed.

OK, that's it so far.  Next will episode to air when the vanity arrives, window treatments are in and the room gets some art and a styling session.

Stay tuned.

xxL

Rejuvenation station

I never said my life is hard. I'll say it here: my life is good.
I just returned from three and a half days of regaining health and focus and rejuvenating myself. My mom had a big birthday this year so I decided to gift her a trip to Canyon Ranch (with me, of course). What a selfish gift!!  Truth is, my birthday was just last last week so I am going with  a "joint gift" title.

We really soaked in the whole thing. The Berkshires this time of year are stellar. I love New England in the fall!

The original property is a mansion built in 1897,  the Bellefontaine mansion was a private home designed by the same architect that created the NY Public Library.  Additions with a more New England flair contain guest rooms and the spa and athletic facilities. The property is situated in a classic vacation destination in the Berkshires that was once home to Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Edith Warton and Norman Rockwell.  

We took a hike to a duck blind to partake in a little al fresco watercolor painting.

My favorite room was the library.  I am obsessed with it.

The indoor pool held wonderful and surprisingly challenging Aqua classes.

It was a little chilly for the outdoor pool, though it was heated.

Beautiful place and wonderful staff!  I highly recommend it.